Churchill stakes strong despite smaller purses

On Fire Baby won her second Grade I race in capturing the LaTroienne on the Kentucky Oaks undercard. She has not raced since being well-beaten in the Fleur de Lis won by Molly Morgan. The two mares meet -- along with Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Ria Antonia, in Churchill's non-graded, $100,000 Locust Grove at a mile on dirt Saturday.(Photo: Reed Palmer/Churchill Downs)

The entries are out for Churchill Downs' Saturday card during its second September meet, and they're a lot better than Friday's opening card. Of course, having four stakes helps, even if one is a five-horse field. Better to have a short field of nice older horses like the stakes-winning Carve, Flashback, Right to Vote, Bradester and Politically Correct in the $100,000, Grade III Ack Ack than the five-horse field of $10,000 claimers that is Friday's second race. #Yikes

Then there is the $100,000 Grade III Iroquois that kicks off the Road to the Derby, with Mountaineer Juvenile winner Hashtag Bourbon (love the name for the Bourbon Lane Stable runner!), Saratoga's Sanford and Saratoga Special runners-up Mr. Z and promising youngsters like Danny Boy, Bold Conquest and Lucky Player.

The $100,000 Pocahontas, a G2 race for 2-year-old fillies, last year was won by eventual Kentucky Oaks winner Untapable in her second start. The Pocahontas also produced 2009 Oaks, Preakness, Haskell, Woodward and Horse of the Year winner Rachel Alexandra.

The winners of the Iroquois and Pocahontas will have their entry fees paid to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies, along with a $10,000 travel stipend.

Churchill will be entry-challenged this meet, with competition from Indiana Downs and of course the $1 million a day in purses being offered at Kentucky Downs' five-day meet. But there will be pockets of excellent racing.

By the way, here's the stat of the day: D. Wayne Lukas, the record-setting trainer who has won about every stakes at Churchill Downs and more Triple Crown races than anyone in history, is 0 for 21 in the Iroquois, with three seconds and three thirds dating to 1987. That would be a good bar bet.

I'll have more on Churchill's September purses, as well as Kentucky Downs, in later posts.